New Earth Library

We’re all looking for something. Be it a better life, a better relationship, an enriching career, a spiritual purpose, happiness, less pain, fulfilment or contentment (to name but a few). We’re all looking for something, seeking out maybes, searching for hope. We reach deeply into our hearts and souls, looking for ‘the answer’; sometimes even looking for the question. We want to know why ‘a plus b equals c’, and we often try to seek out new ways of re-writing such equations when things don’t pan out quite as we would hope or expect. It can be hard to make sense of why ‘a plus b’ can’t equal d or z. Of course, as enquiring humans, ever-changing and ever-evolving, it’s easy to see why we are always on a quest to understand, enrich and improve, but it can become exhausting and overwhelming, as no matter how hard we try, we never quite get to the horizon.

We often work hard trying to re-shape and re-define the world in which we live, sometimes on a quest to make the world a better place, but sometimes through a desire to find a solution to a seemingly intractable problem; sometimes it can be hard for us to accept that, despite our best efforts, we can’t always achieve the desired outcome.

Acceptance can be a difficult and bitter pill to swallow at times, as we so often equate acceptance with the idea of giving up or giving in. It feels passive and hollow, and we can struggle to feel okay with the idea of acceptance as we fear it means we’ve lost our fight and mettle, with the battle ending in defeat. Yet, when we are faced with brick wall after brick wall, it can be hard to know when it’s time to push and when it’s time to let go. How can we tell when we’ve reached the threshold of ‘enough’ trying? Of course, very often when we find ourselves in such situations, it can be hard to see the wood for the trees and, as a result, we lose our sense of perspective. We forget to take a breath or step back in order to gain fresh insight.

In our hearts and souls, we know there resides a deep pool of courage and strength, inspiring us to face adversity, to rise up from the ashes and to keep on trying. So, it’s easy to see why we can struggle to find peace with the idea of acceptance as it can feel as though we’ve shrivelled up and bowed down to defeat. Yet, if we pause for a moment to step back and think about this dialogue: fight, struggle, battle, defeat. Are we at war with ourselves? Is it our perspective of ourselves and our lives that’s really at the core of this as perception ultimately shapes and defines the paths we walk?

As I mentioned last month, we spend so long trying to sharpen and hone the undefined pieces of ourselves, and work so hard trying to create a masterpiece, that we can forget to find the time to be at one with ourselves, to let be, to let breathe and to let live. It’s often only when we are faced with a challenge that we pause and begin to realise just how tightly we’ve been clinging on.

We so often take life for granted, we push through day after day, thinking ‘tomorrow’ when it comes to embracing our dreams and living the life we intuitively know we were born to live. Yet, no one can know what resides around the next corner and waiting for tomorrow always runs the risk of running out of time. I know I took my life for granted until the day I couldn’t anymore. I kept putting things off for a better moment, but then my health deteriorated, and the ‘better moment’ dissipated and slipped out of view. Of course, I've found new dreams, but I still feel a twang of sadness for the things I can no longer do. All of those things I'd spent time searching for, as I tried to perfect and hone my life, became meaningless, as I realised the importance of letting this all go in order to make the most of every single moment.

I've been privileged enough to spend time with those near the end of life, and their optimism and energy to grab life and make the most of every moment always strikes a chord in my heart as I wish we could all do this from an early age rather than waiting until (and if) we’re given a deadline. It often seems ironic to me that the most enlivened people I've met are nearing the end of their time on this earth. We all have a lesson to learn from that, don’t we? Surely, it’s better to live for the moment and to make the whole journey matter, from birth to death?

Acceptance takes more courage, mettle, strength and self-belief than any battle or war we choose to wage in life. Acceptance opens up our hearts and souls to the pain, the grief and the immensity of life, but it also allows us to embrace joy in its rawest form as we’ve stripped back the layers and allowed ourselves to be at one with ourselves and our life exactly as it is. This doesn’t mean we’ve given up, but we’ve allowed ourselves the opportunity to be in the moment and finally be fully present in the here and now.

Life’s short, but it matters. It matters to wake up in the morning feeling a sense of awe at being alive, and it matters to feel a sense of purpose and connection. So, instead of trying so hard to seek out answers and questions in a quest to get life ‘right’, maybe it’s time to find peace with the irrational, perplexing and bewildering thing we call life…

For now, I wish you all kinds of wonderful.

With love,

Sarah-Jane

Aries

♈

As the warmth within your heart and soul continues to tingle and fizz, there is a growing sense of awareness that you are on the precipice of a new beginning in your life. This is not likely to come as much of a surprise to you as you’ve been feeling the winds of change gathering momentum for some time now. You are ready for something new, and the anticipation you can feel within is tantalising and exciting as you are longing to start a new chapter in the great big book of your life. The only doubt in your mind is the fact that you are on a precipice – is this really a good place to be?! But does it really mean you’re teetering on the edge? Well, yes and no. You are always at the leading edge of your life, pushing boundaries and seeking out new terrain, so in truth, you are always on a precipice as that’s the spot where you thrive and flourish. However, if you’re feeling a bit hesitant about being in such a place then maybe you need to go within in order to find out why?

Being a pioneer is a wonderful thing, but you are also very wise and intuitive, so listen to your inner voice in order to gain a stronger sense of perspective as to your current situation. From the outside looking in, it appears that this precipice is more of a wide ledge and there is plenty of space for you to rest there a while in order to take stock. Although you thrive at a fast pace, sometimes it’s wise to slow down for a while in order to make some more informed decisions. This is an exciting time of your life, so take a big deep breath and you will quickly realise that you are exactly where you need to be…

Taurus

♉

As you continue to re-establish a stronger sense of self, it seems you are beginning to re-connect to the inspiration, creativity and wisdom that resides deep within your heart and soul. You have spent a long time trying to be everything to everyone, and the cost has been a disconnection from your true essence. However, now you have realised this, you are breaking free from this cycle and starting to contemplate living the life you were born to live. Of course, you have always had a sense of what living the life you were born to live actually means to you, but you have often made decisions based on what you don’t want to do, rather than on what you do. In other words, you have always used your inner honing beacon to prevent yourself from going down pathways that intuitively don’t feel right rather than using your formidable intuition to take you off-road and towards your true essence. This is an inherently human trait and it’s one that has, on the whole, served you well in life. Yet, it has taken vast swathes of energy to maintain this over the years, and there have been times when you have felt depleted and overwhelmed as you have tried so hard to keep on keeping on.

Whilst there have been some choices and decisions that you undoubtedly still question, you have also made some amazing choices as well. However, you have now reached a stage where you no longer feel right making life choices based on what you don’t want, you want to switch this towards the positive, and allow all of that inner inspiration, creativity and wisdom to surge up within, illuminating every corner of your life. You are ready to channel your formidable energy towards living the life you were truly born to live…

Gemini

♊

Happiness is a concept you have frequently pondered and explored. Whilst you know what happiness is, it has sometimes been hard for you to work out exactly how to achieve this in your life. This isn’t because you don’t know what happiness is, nor is it the case that you feel like it’s out of your reach; it seems more likely that you spend so long contemplating the true meaning of happiness that you forget to go and be happy! Of course, life isn’t a bed of roses, there are always challenges to face and hiccups to resolve, yet if your quest to find happiness takes you away from this moment, then it becomes inextricably difficult to allow happiness to take its own shape and form in your life. There is no doubt that you thrive when helping others and creating happiness all around you, but it’s important to know that happiness is also about living well, being well and honouring yourself. Happiness is difficult to quantify as, more than anything else, it’s a feeling: it’s about feeling that warm, fuzzy glow within. It’s also about being truly and genuinely happy.

It’s undoubtedly hard being you as there is a dual side to your nature that means it’s easy for you to shapeshift to appease others. Whilst this gift allows you to connect with many others, there is a risk that you lose sight of yourself in the process. So, when did you last feel the joy dancing within? What makes your heart sing? These are the keys to unlock happiness, enabling you to embrace it, live it and become it. The more you allow your true feelings to surface, and the more you reconnect to your true essence, the more you will realise that happiness isn’t something to go and get, as it’s yours already…

Cancer

♋

Your imagination is a powerful gift and it’s the force that inspires and encourages you to look at the bigger picture of your life. It feeds your dreams and gives shape and form to your vision of what the ‘perfect life’ could be like. However, whilst you often think about living the life of your dreams, if someone were to ask you on the spot to shout your dreams out loud, there may be a fairly long pregnant pause as you try to gain a clearer sense of the details. It’s not that you don’t know what your dreams entail, but you haven’t spent much time over recent weeks, months or even years, allowing for the possibility that they can be anything other than dreams. In many ways, you may feel that having a detailed vision of the ‘perfect life’ isn’t helpful as it’s more practical to focus on keeping on keeping on. Yet, without dreams, what scope do you have to explore new terrain and write new chapters?

Whilst getting life ‘right’ is important to you, so is living the best life possible, but it’s important not to confuse the two as getting life ‘right’ creates a goal perched high up on a pedestal, whereas living the best life possible is an acknowledge of life’s imperfections with a willingness to roll up your sleeves and find joy in each and every moment. Living the best life possible is feeling wholeheartedly alive and allowing those dreams to slip off that pedestal and move into the here and now. Of course, you have very high expectations of yourself, but why give yourself a hard time for being what you’re not, rather than for what you are? Use the power of your imagination to see beyond the nitty-gritty of everyday life, and allow yourself to reconnect to what you truly want…

Leo

♌

Life, by its very nature, is multifaceted, complicated and complex. So many things happen that don’t make sense, often leaving you baffled and bewildered, pondering the meaning of life and your role within it. Yet, despite the befuddling complexity, there is a part of you that sees beyond this and towards the simplicity of life; it is this side of you often drives you through challenges as intuitively you sense that all will be well. This force helps you to navigate stormy waters and to traverse the dark nooks and crannies. In fact, your intuition is an impressive force as it fires up your passion and creativity, energising your effervescent spirit and inspiring you to look at the bigger picture as you strive towards your dreams. Your inner light shines brightly, and this illuminates your heart and soul, leading you towards living a more enriching and fulfilling life.

Whilst you have always been aware of your inner light, you often forget about its existence as you are too busy trying to work your way through the complex and bewildering matters of everyday life. In a way, you see your passionate creative force as separate to your everyday life as it often feels as though there’s no room for the ‘luxury’ of creativity. Yet, it’s your creativity that is the real power here, it’s your lifeforce and it allows you to see beyond the humdrum, towards the magic of existence. Of course, allowing your creative force to flow freely won’t eradicate those stormy seas, but it will help you step beyond the mazes of confusion and into the open pastures of wholehearted living beyond. If anyone can fully embrace the concept of wholehearted, it’s you, as your passion, energy and exuberance seep out from every single pore. This is your moment to shine…

Virgo

♍

December looks set to be a month of renewed passion and focus for you as you begin to re-shape and re-define your world from the inside, out. You have an innate ability to think creatively and you are acutely aware of the way that thinking shapes and defines so many aspects of your life. Of course, there are times when you have to focus on the practicalities of life, but there are also times when your potent mind explores new terrain, pushing boundaries and ‘boldly going where no one has gone before’. Although you are both a bigger picture, and a finer details, sort of person, your ability to see the bigger picture is far-reaching as your empathy and compassion take your vision way and beyond yourself towards a more universal bigger picture. Despite being such a profound thinker, you feel so deeply as well, and this takes your compassion to levels that few others can comprehend.

You see potential where others see dead-ends, and you see opportunity where others see brick walls. This gift of yours enables you to face challenges with courage and tenacity as your innovative approach to problem-solving allows you to find solutions in the most unexpected places. It’s not that you deliberately seek out such solutions, but you draw them to you with your open-hearted approach to life, and it’s because of your open-mind that you notice these as most would miss them. There are times when life feels too demanding as your ever-enquiring mind rarely quietens, always searching for solutions and exploring the bigger picture of the bigger picture, so it’s important for you to find ways to build a sense of stillness within: a space of quiet and tranquillity where you can re-charge and re-balance. Use the power of your true essence to breathe new energy into your heart and soul…

Libra

♎

You have spent a great deal of your life oscillating ‘in the middle’, hovering in-between here and there, studying the gap between where you are and where you want to be. You often ponder the unknown, dreaming of living the life you intuitively know you were born to live, and, in the process, daring to be yourself and honouring your true essence. Such thoughts fill your heart and soul, and yet you often hold back, with a slight breath hold, erring on the side of caution, preferring the concept of ‘not daring’ than taking a chance and daring to be yourself. Of course, in many ways, it’s easier to walk the middle ground as it places you on a path of least resistance, yet is least resistance the most rewarding way to live? Does it fill your heart with joy and instil a sense of passion within?

It’s true that life is weighed down with responsibilities: things to do, people to see and places to go, but is this the real reason why you’re in the middle? Even the words ‘in the middle’ suggest a state of flux, an inertia of uncertainty, of being neither here nor there. Although it’s a perfectly reasonable place to be, holding your breath for such a long time has inevitably seen your lifeforce or energy shrink away from the edges of the new boundaries ready to explore. It’s not that you lack courage, nor has your visionary capacity left you, but you seem to have got lost in the distraction of keeping on keeping on. Yet, you want to perch on the edges, reaching out towards pastures new as it’s living on the edge (and beyond) that instils you with a sense of purpose. As Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote: ‘To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself’…

Scorpio

♏

December looks set to be a month for more creative, expansive and bold thinking as you begin to see new ways of getting from where you are to where you want to be. You have spent a long-time treading water, waiting for the right moment to make your move. You have been hovering in a kind of stasis, looking for signs that you should make some changes, but then doubting that the signs are big enough when they do appear. Undoubtedly it can be hard sometimes to know exactly when to act and when to press the pause button, but your intuition is so finely honed that it’s important to listen to this and let it be your guide. In many ways, life has got in the way and muddied the waters when it comes to the clarity of your intuitive prowess, but life always does that, as life is never an unbending path of easiness. Although there is a part of you that longs for more ease, you know that this would never really suit you as you thrive on the uncertainty of the ups and downs, and you evolve through the lessons you have learned.

Wherever you look in life, there are potential obstacles, but you have grown to see them (mostly!) as opportunities. Instead of seeing them as barriers to your happiness, keeping you away from living the life you dream of, you see them as stepping stones on your pathway towards a stronger sense of inner peace. This has taken a great deal of work and perseverance on your part, but you have delved deeply into your soul in order to step beyond the fear of facing the truth of all that you are. You are now much more willing to accept your quirks and imperfections, loving and accepting them as an inherent part of your being...

Sagittarius

♐

December looks set to see that little twinkle in your eye build into something more cohesive to grasp and comprehend. Your restlessness over recent months has been a sign of change, but it has been hard for you to gain a sense of what that change is, so there has been some uncertainty creating an air of disquiet which has left you feeling unsettled. Whilst there is still a great deal of uncertainty, there has been a surge in your inner strength and you are beginning to feel more centred and balanced than ever before as you lean into the uncertainty and find sustenance from it. It’s as though you are realising the rewards for opening up your heart and soul towards living more consciously in each and every moment, and you are learning how to dive into the disquiet in order to find peace. As you continue to reconnect to your free-spirited essence, there is a sense that your energy is finding new avenues to flourish and thrive.

Of course, with you being you, there are many different batons up in the air, each one representing a different possibility or goal, so it’s important that you don’t use up all of your energy juggling. Whilst you may not be quite ready to let the batons go, there is a sense that it’s time to shift your focus away from possibilities and more towards those pathways and goals that truly warm your spirit. If you can whittle this down to something more manageable, and away from the plethora of goals and projects dancing around your head at any one moment in time, then you are more likely to find ways to let that twinkling eye glow even brighter. Admittedly you are a world-class juggler, but you are also gifted in many other ways as well and it’s time for you to explore these more wholeheartedly now...

Capricorn

♑

As you continue to contemplate what you truly want from your life, there is a sense that you are beginning to let go some of your old belief patterns and ideals when it comes to what you think you ought to want and instead think about what you really want. Beliefs can bring you understanding, but they can sometimes become so ingrained that you lose sight of their presence, and they silently shape and define the course of your life without you realising it. Over the years, you have done a great deal of work on yourself, and you have let go of a great many belief patterns as a result. This has left you wiser and more centred, but there is also a sense that you have grown weary, as you have faced many hiccups along your path in life. Yet, you have never let go of the desire to work on yourself as you intuitively know that this is the key to living life with more freedom and balance.

December looks set to be a month of asking yourself what truly makes you happy. You are a complex soul, and you often keep your true needs hidden behind the closed curtains of everyday life, but you are beginning to acknowledge them more now and you’ve allowed the curtains to fall open as you have opened up to your vulnerable side. Vulnerability doesn’t mean naïve or gullible, it’s your softer underbelly, that side of you that you rarely expose to the world. Allowing this side of you the room to manoeuvre is a massive step forward as it’s a sign you have stopped trying so hard to be the person you feel everyone else wants you to be and instead are finding the joy in being yourself. This is a time to honour your true essence and to step into unchartered terrain…

Aquarius

♒

As you continue to master the art of conscious living, you are beginning to find new ways of navigating your way through the pathways and alleyways of life. Your breath is a powerful force in conscious living as it’s the energy that realigns you and helps you to stay centred no matter what life throws at you. Your breath gently holds your hand and leads you through life, giving you strength and instilling a sense of interconnectedness deep within the core of your being. The more connected you become with your own essence, the more you realise just how vital it is to stand firm in your own power. This isn’t stubbornness, it’s a profound energetic resilience that enables you to find wisdom where others find only challenge. You’ve had your fair share of difficulties in life, but you have grown exponentially as a result, and the sum of you is now very much greater than your individual parts.

Of course, no one really wants disequilibrium, but you have accepted its role in your life as it’s going to happen whether you want it to or not. As a result of your willingness to face life exactly as it is, you have found yourself less jostled by the currents and more able to embrace the moment. In short, you have evolved to a new level of awareness and, because of this, your life is more enriched and fulfilled. Now whilst this doesn’t mean that your life is suddenly ‘perfect’, it does suggest less friction and resistance when it comes to striding towards living life in accordance to your true essence. In many ways this is about perception, but as this ultimately shapes and defines the path you walk, this is great news as it has inspired you to consciously embrace the art of living consciously in each and every moment…

Pisces

♓

First things first, you really do need to take on board the advice to STOP GIVING YOURSELF A HARD TIME. Shouting, even in writing, is rarely effective but you seem to have dug your heels in deeply and have become so used to giving yourself a hard time that you don’t realise you’re doing it. You really do excel at beating yourself up for not doing enough or being enough. You feel you should be superhuman and be able to be everything to everyone, never stopping for a moment to think about your own needs. Whilst this is admirable, and it does bring you a sense of joy, the price of this behaviour is a gradual depletion of your own essence as you slowly fade out of view. December looks set to be a month for you to begin the process of re-aligning and re-centring yourself after months of disequilibrium and discombobulation.

Despite your robustness and somewhat phenomenal ability to carry so much on your shoulders, that stoop you’ve developed isn’t a good look for you. It’s time to shake off the load and to stop carrying quite so much baggage. This isn’t to say that you should forget your responsibilities and dance off into the hills without a care in the world, but it’s really important for you to take stock of just how much you carry and to begin the process of lightening the load. Your life is no less important than anyone else’s and you need to start valuing yourself a great deal more. It’s time to let go of the burden and to feel a greater sense of freedom in your life. Of course, you may not feel that you are carrying too much, but do try to take the time to at least have a look within to ensure that you are truly not biting off more than you can chew. Remember: you matter…